Stern Fans, Punk Rockers Wield Voting Power

June 3, 2004|By Peter Carlson The Washington Post

Just when you thought that every conceivable aspect of the presidential campaign had been identified, analyzed, interpreted and argued over by the geeks from the all-powerful Media-Political Complex, two magazines have identified new constituencies that could be absolutely crucial in this election: Howard Stern fans and punk rockers.

In "Kerry's Secret Weapon?," an article in the June issue of the Atlantic, staff researcher Ross Douthat speculates that Stern, the radio shock jock famed for jokes about strippers and lesbians, "could swing a state or two into Kerry's column."

Angry that the FCC fined him for his on-air discussion of sex techniques he dubs the "nasty Sanchez" and the "blumpkin," Stern has been urging listeners to do him a favor: "Vote against Bush."

Arguably, Stern has a track record as a kingmaker: In 1993, he endorsed Christie Whitman, Republican candidate for governor of New Jersey, in return for her promise to name a highway rest stop after him. She won in an upset, which is how there came to be a Howard Stern Rest Area on Interstate 295.

In the cover story of the June 7 issue of the Nation, Kristin V. Jones details efforts to mobilize punk rockers for Kerry. A group called Punkvoter has sent a cadre of punks headed by Jello Biafra, former star of the Dead Kennedys, on a Rock Against Bush tour.

Meanwhile, another group is attempting, Jones writes, to "establish a voting bloc specifically on the basis of being young and angry." The group's manifesto is called "How to Get Stupid White Men Out of Office: The Anti-Politics, Un-Boring Guide to Power." The book's co-author, Malia Lazu, 26, proclaims: "I'm the diva of democracy with my push-up bra and my fabulous boots!"

Lazu has this message for her constituency: "If you want to be an anarchist, that's fine, but ... could you just not be an anarchist on voting day?"